Oath: Apprentice
by Venath
Summary: A companion to my other fic, Oath. Apprentice picks up after chapter fourteen of Oath, and features various characters during the time skip between chapters fourteen and fifteen. Still Itachi and Naruto, but not Naruto/Itachi.
1. Prologue: The God

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this. And if I owned Naruto, the Eight-Tails would be a main character for the rest of the manga. And Orochimaru would stop jobbing to the Uchihas.

AN: Well, here's the sequel/prequel/companion fic to Oath. I'm honestly not sure which of them to call it. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy.

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Conversation**_

**Time Passage**

* * *

"Nagato…" She had no doubt that it was him, even in spite of the fact that not only had she not seen him in years, but he'd gone through some vast changes. He looked…older. His hair was shorter, more ragged, and almost completely grey, with only a few black strands standing out. His skin was cracked and wrinkling, and his voice was almost unrecognizable. It was almost as if he'd aged decades, rather than the short number of years they'd been apart.

But even with all of that, she knew those eyes. Not just the Rin'negan, but Nagato's eyes. No one else had ever been able to look at her and Yahiko quite like he had. It was beyond friendship, beyond family. He didn't simply look at them as though they were close. It was almost as if when he saw them, he saw extensions of himself. To him, they were **him**. They were closer to him than any separate person could ever be.

And that was the look she could see in this man's eyes. So she knew it was him, regardless of the changes the years had apparently forced on him. Nagato lifted his hand a few inches from the arm of his throne, turning his hand palm-up, as if beckoning her. Standing, she began to walk forward, but stopped at Yahiko's slightly concerned voice. She hadn't heard Pain, or Yahiko as she supposed she should call him, speak with anything besides calm, controlled confidence in years.

"Nagato!"

At his outburst, Nagato's smile faded, and he turned his hand back over, allowing it to drop to the arm of the throne. Konan turned to Yahiko in confusion, only to be even more surprised at the realization that his eyes no longer held the Rin'negan. Noticing her obvious confusion, he stood and gave Nagato a small bow, before placing his hand on Konan's back, and leading her from the room.

The entrance began to shut behind them, and she turned to her friend, intent on figuring out what was going on. However, before she could ask, Yahiko spoke, already appearing to know her question.

"It's the Rin'negan." At her continued silence, he elaborated.

"You know, as I do, that the Rin'negan is said to be the ultimate power. And that comes with a price. It's too much power for any individual to handle for long. Even the Sage of Six Paths, the original creator of the shinobi world, eventually fell victim to its power. Even the slighest activity weakens him even more."

Konan took a moment to think the situation over, before filling in the blanks. "That's why he looks the way he does." She couldn't help but remember how old he'd looked, at least compared to how old he was supposed to be. "And it's why uses you and the others. Because he doesn't have to take the entire burden himself."

Yahiko nodded an affirmative. "At first, it was just me. But that wasn't enough. It was subtle, but surely you noticed that I was looking a little older."

"I thought you'd just hit a growth spurt." He nodded again, expecting her to say something of the sort. They'd still been relatively young when he'd started to take part of the Rin'negan's power. It was only logical to assume that, as a young teenage boy, the small changes were simply normal. Continuing his explanation, Yahiko felt the Rin'negan take shape again, and felt its power flow back through him, as Nagato reconnected with his mind.

"We needed more vessels like myself. But there were few we trusted to accept the power willingly, and still remain loyal to our cause." His expression turned serious, a frown coming across his face. "So we took them by force. Shinobi from different clans across the world, beasts that we could summon and control…Defeated enemies, who were incapable of resisting or rebelling." Pain gave her a pointed look, and she remembered seeing someone all too familiar in one of the tubes that had been in the room with Nagato.

"You used Hanzo too, didn't you?" It was barely a question. She just needed confirmation.

"Yes. We used Hanzo. We didn't just need vessels. We needed strong vessels. Worthy vessels. And Hanzo was able to defeat the Sannin on his own. He seemed…perfect. The others were excellent for what we needed, as all of them were respected among their peers, but Hanzo was simply on another level. Every vessel we added slowed Nagato's aging more and more."

"So earlier, you said that others would join you. Was Hanzo not enough?"

"Unfortunately. Even with one of the most powerful shinobi we know of at our disposal, he continues to age, continues to weaken. But it's been slowed enough to buy us time. The Kages are only the beginning. We need the strongest shinobi of each village, of each nation, even. We're not certain how many we'll need, but there are a number of powerful shinobi in this world. There should be enough to spread the Rin'negan's power properly before it's too late." Pain looked over at Konan, not sure as to why she was so silent when he was certain she would have more questions.

"Is something wrong, Konan?"

"…Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I wasn't trustworthy? Or just not worthy? You should have known I'd agree to help you without a second thought."

_So that's the problem._ "We do trust you. And you're certainly worthy. More than anyone. But we also needed someone who could maintain contact with the outside world without raising suspicion."

He stopped walking. "And I think these eyes would have drawn attention."

"I see."

"Konan." He placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Rest assured, in due time, you will be able to join us as well. And so will Master Jiraiya. Then we'll truly be together once more, as a family."

He placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head so she was looking at him.

"I promise. The promise of a lifetime."

* * *

AN: So, what did you think? Love to hear what you have to say, and I hope y'all enjoy this as much as you're enjoying Oath…If you're enjoying Oath, of course.


	2. Misty Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

AN: Heh. Well, school's back in session. Or college is, at least. Don't know about anyone else. In case anyone didn't catch it, the first couple chapters of this will be leading up from the Pain/Oro fight to the events in Suna, and then continuing into completely new territory from there…At least, it's new territory as far as this fic is concerned. Anyway, rambling aside, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Conversation**_

**Time Passage**

* * *

Itachi let out a mental sigh, something that he seemed to be doing more and more often since leaving Konoha, and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to remain focused. Looking at the blond before him, he tried not to show his frustration.

"Naruto, please tell me you didn't just say that."

"What? He doesn't have any eyebrows! Don't blame me 'cause the big guy here has a…bald…brow…" Naruto seemed to come to some kind of realization, and turned to Zabuza with a grin. "Bald-Brow! Yes! That's one for ya!"

Itachi looked over at Zabuza, hoping that he wasn't easily offended, to see him staring silently at Naruto. They really didn't need a confrontation right now. The fact that Tazuna was laughing his head off probably wasn't helping. Suddenly, Zabuza burst into laughter, dropping his hand on Naruto's head and ruffling his hair.

"You've got spunk, kid. Sound like someone that'll attract a lot of trouble. Now," He turned to the Demon Brothers, Gozu and Meizu. "You two, we have supplies to grab. Get to it."

"Yeah-" Gozu started.

"Sure." The younger of the two finished.

"Of course."

"Why not?"

"We always get stuck-"

"With the grunt work."

"Keep pissing n' moaning, and you'll be taking the rest of your jobs with a few less hands." He tapped the hilt of the sword on his back a few times for emphasis. "How's that sound?"

Meizu shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. We've heard it all before. We'll meet you-"

"In half an hour. Boss," Gozu nodded towards Zabuza, then turned to Haku and did the same. "Haku."

"Zabuza," Haku looked up at him. "Can I spend some time with Naruto before we leave?"

"Yeah, c'mon Bald-Brow!"

Zabuza shrugged at the two, turning to walk away. "Do whatever ya want. I've got some stuff I need to take care of anyway."

"Yo Freaky-Ey-"

"Yes, Naruto. You can go." Itachi took a moment to dig around in the pouch where he kept their money. _Not too much left, and we're about to get paid anyway._ It wasn't like there was too much. Knowing Naruto, about enough to make him relatively full on a ramen binge. He tossed the small pouch to Naruto, and turned to Tazuna. "I believe we have some arrangements to discuss."

"Right, right. You need your pay. Well, let's see what we can do about that, eh?"

As Tazuna and Itachi worked out his payment for the escort, Haku and Naruto walked off to explore the unfamiliar town. Having just spent a couple hours on a boat, during which he was given his first real training session, and went through the closest thing he'd ever had to an actual battle, Naruto's mind was set on one thing: Food.

"So Haku…Hungry?"

"I wouldn't complain about something to eat." He glanced around, before pointing to a small stand that definitely looked like it served food. "Let's go check that place."

"I wonder if they've got ramen."

"Only one way to find out."

When they reached the counter, there was an older man with his back turned, digging around in a small cabinet. They waited for a few minutes as the man continued to search for whatever it was he was after, before Naruto's impatience got the best of him.

"Hey, old m-" Before he could finish, he felt a pair of fingers grab his lips, holding them together, and he turned to Haku with an annoyed scowl.

"Pardon me sir, but I was wondering if you served ramen here?"

The man quickly turned in surprise, glancing around for a few seconds before realizing that his customers were a little shorter than eye level. Looking down at the two over the counter, he gave them a cheery smile.

"Well, y'all surprised me there for a second. My name's Gento. And you bet I got ramen here. Best in the town, if I do so say myself." He pointed a thumb at himself with a prideful smile.

"Oh, oh, I'll have as much as I can get with this!" Naruto pulled out the pouch Itachi had given him, and poured the money on the counter, when he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and I'll pay for what Haku wants too."

"Um, Naruto, I'm not sure y-"

"Hey, don't worry. Itachi wouldn't give me money if he didn't expect me to spend it all."

_Yeah,_ Gento thought, _but you've got enough there for more than a dozen bowls, 'specially if you buy the cheap stuff._

"Well…Alright." Haku looked over the menu on the wall in front of them for a moment. "I think I'll just have a small Tantanmen bowl. Thank you."

"Oh c'mon, Haku! You don't have to order a small! I've got plenty of money here"

"It's alright. I'm not that hungry."

"Oh, fine. I wanna try one of everything, if I've got enough."

"You've got enough to try 'em all once, and then have a few more, even if ya want the large orders. You sure you can eat that much, kid?"

"You kidding!? Heck yeah I can eat that much!"

"Well, alrighty then. We've got one small spicy beef, and one full menu order. I'll have y'all started on your meals in just a minute." Gento turned to begin on making their orders, but something caught his eye when he looked back at them.

"That's an interesting flower you've got there young lady. I don't suppose this little fella gave it to you?" The elderly man behind the stand smiled at them and nodded towards the five-leafed blue flower Haku had placed in his hair, and turned to continue working on the ramen.

"Why yes, he did. I thought it was sweet."

"Well, ya should. It's not one of them common types a' plants."

Naruto turned his head from the now-heating water to the man with a curious look. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's a pretty rare one, that flower."

Haku tilted his head. "Does it mean anything?"

"Well, there's a buncha tales behind it, so nobody's sure of the real story. Some say it means you'll have a long friendship. The romantic kind say it's all about love. Some of the more superstitious types say it's got somethin' to do with destiny, or fate, or some stuff like that. Either way, everybody seems to agree that it's something good."

"Well," Haku turned to look at Naruto, grinning. "Maybe this meeting was fate."

"Or," The man looked thoughtful for a moment. "It could be the one that means death. I always get those two mixed up." He seemed to drift off into his mind, staring into space. "Now, was it the blue one that was supposed to be death, or the red one? Let's see, what was that rhyme I always heard as a kid? Blue means you're through? Or was it red means you're dead? Wait, no, it was-" He noticed the two kids paling as they listened to his ramblings nervously.

"Well, that's not important. It's all just superstitious nonsense anyway."

He turned back to his cooking as an awkward silence settled in. After a few minutes of silence as they tried to think of something to talk about that didn't involve missing-nin, power-mad businessmen, or giving new friends flowers that might or might not represent imminent death, Gento placed their orders in front of them. Or, in Naruto's case, the first wave of a long line of bowls.

Seventeen bowls and two incredibly amazed onlookers later, it seemed as though Naruto had finally eaten his fill. Or at least, as much as he could eat with as much money as he had on him.

"Man, that was good." Naruto swiveled around on the barstool, and leaned back against the counter, patting his belly.

"It was delicious. Now," Haku poked Naruto's stomach a few times. "You have to work all of this off."

"So," Naruto grinned leaned his head back, looking upside-down at Gento. "There anything to do around here?"

"Sorry kid. Not a lot of excitement around these parts nowadays."

"It's alright." Haku hopped down from the barstool, and pulled Naruto down after him. "I should probably be getting back to Zabuza anyway. Don't you have somewhere to be, Naruto?"

"Yeah, guess I should catch up with Freaky-Eyes. Thanks for the ramen old man!"

"Feel free ta come back anytime, young fella!" Gento gave them a wave as they walked away, and began collecting the money they'd left on the counter with a grin. He'd never had a customer that had single-handedly put back the entire menu.

If they were to think about it, it really wasn't hard to find the ones they were looking for, sitting in a small bar near the dock they'd arrived at. Zabuza and Itachi were standing around while Gozu and Meizu had finally taken off their masks to have a few drinks with Tazuna. In fact, between Zabuza, Itachi, and the Demon Brothers, it was hard **not** to notice them. Because really, how many people in a town without ninja walked around with swords that were nearly as tall an average adult male, or wore large, clawed gauntlets with chains attached?

As they neared the group, Itachi and Zabuza's heads turned in their direction, and Itachi spoke up.

"We're going our separate ways here. You and I will be staying at Tazuna's home tonight. Assuming he ever finishes" Itachi looked over to the three men drinking at the counter. As Meizu fell backwards in his chair, Tazuna let out a loud belly-laugh, and Gozu grinned at his almost-unconscious younger brother.

"Sshay Goju. W-" Meizu paused and licked his lips, tilting his head up to look at his brother. "Whash in th-" And before he could finish, his eyes closed and his head dropped back to the ground, unconscious.

"Poor little brother." He nudged Meizu's ribs with the toe of his boot a few times. "Never could hold his alcohol."

"Alright, that's enough." Zabuza pushed off the wall, and stretched his arms. "Pick 'im up and let's get movin'. Uchiha." He gave Itachi a nod, and started for the exit, looking down at Haku as he walked by. "C'mon kid."

As Gozu threw his brother over his shoulder and began to follow Zabuza, Haku turned towards Itachi and Tazuna.

"It was really nice meeting you." He bowed politely, and after Itachi gave a curt nod in response, turned to give Naruto a short hug. "I hope we meet again, Naruto."

"Y-yeah, me too." He stammered out, face bright red. As Haku left with a wave, Naruto returned the gesture, and turned as he felt Itachi's hand on his shoulder. He turned, and saw that Tazuna had finally downed the last of his drink, and was apparently ready to head home.

"Time to go." Itachi didn't need the Sharingan to see the sad expression on Naruto's face. " Don't worry. I'm sure we'll meet them again."

* * *

The Samehada stabbed into the ground as Kisame sailed overhead, flipping to land in a crouch several feet behind the blade. Standing up, he stretched out and began to unfasten his cloak, grinning at his partner, who was staring at the dark-skinned man ahead of them.

"Hey, Hozuki, mind if I handle this one? He's not half bad. It looks like I might actually get a decent brawl this time."

Mangetsu crossed his arms and gave a half-hearted shrug, staring off towards the mountains with a bored expression.

"Do what you want. No skin off my nose."

"Yo!" They turned to look at the Eight-Tailed Jinchuuriki. "What you kids tryin' to prove? This Beast is an object you just can't move, yeah!"

"Hoshigaki, I'm getting tired of this gibberish. Why don't we just shut him up now?"

"Kisame?" Zetsu's voice came from behind them, before Kisame could remove the cloak from his shoulders. "Leader has new orders for you."

"Well, I'll get to it as soon as I'm done here."

"No. He specifically said this order was to be carried out immediately."

Kisame sighed, wishing he could at least get one decent fight once in a while. It was like some kind of curse.

"Fine, fine. What's Leader want?"

Mangetsu tensed as he noticed the jinchuuriki's ears perk up. Even if they received new orders, it would be a bad idea to start on a new mission with an enemy close enough to hear what it was.

"We need you to keep a watch on someone for us."

"…You want me to spy? Wouldn't that be more in your area of expertise?"

"Leader says you're supposed to do it."

Kisame replaced the Samehada on his back with an annoyed grunt, knowing full and well that he was more suited to fighting than observing people.

"C'mon, Hozuki. Let's get going."

"No." They both turned to Zetsu at that. "Leader says that **you** will observe them. He stays and takes care of the Eight-Tailed Jinchuuriki."

That was definitely odd. The teams were rarely separated, unless one of them was taken out of commission somehow. And that in itself was a rare event, considering that all of them were S-Ranked criminals. He and Mangetsu shared a glance, before Kisame shrugged and began re-fastening his cloak.

"Fine. Think you can handle this, brother?"

He let out a short laugh. "Of course. This bumbling fool may have some skill, but he can't defeat one of the Seven Swordsmen."

"Right. Lead the way, Zetsu. I'll need a bit more than "you need to follow someone" if you want me to get the job done."

As Kisame and Zetsu disappeared from sight, Mangetsu drew his sword from the scabbard on his back, and tore the Akatsuki cloak off, throwing it to the side.

"So, think you can take me, fool? I'm gonna take yo' punk ass to school, yeah!"

Mangetsu leapt forward, hoping that the sign-making, rhyming man wasn't as strong as he seemed to believe he was.

* * *

Pain and Konan didn't move from the balcony overlooking the still-ruined city as Zetsu appeared behind them.

"So, he's on his way to look after those children?"

"Just like you ordered him to, Leader. Leader, may I…"

"Yes. We'll still need the elder Hozuki's ring, but his body is of no more use to us. Feel free to do as you wish. But if you would, show some respect. He was one of us, after all."

"Of course, Leader. And what of the jinchuuriki?"

"Leave him be, for the time being."

"As you wish, Leader." And Zetsu left, intent on retrieving his meal, as Konan turned her attention to her companion.

"So, I guess we should start recruiting to fill the empty positions."

"…We'll wait, for now. Madara doesn't want us to approach his descendant yet." Not to mention that they were a long, long way from being ready to deal with the Kyuubi's vessel. Weak or not, they wouldn't be able to keep the boy both under guard and in reasonable health for the time it would take them to retrieve the others of his kind.

"What about Deidara?"

"The boy with a rather particular talent for explosives, correct?" At her nod, he continued. "Sasori is keeping an eye on him."

"Shouldn't he be dealing with Orochimaru?"

"One of his agents is taking care of that problem."

"I suppose you have all your bases covered, then." She began to move back inside, when a light, trickling rain began.

"Not quite." He glanced down at her as she returned to his side, watching as the citizens began to head for shelter, used to the sudden rains when their leader's mood changed.

"It seems an old friend of ours noticed that something out of the ordinary was going on, and has taken it upon himself to look into things."

"An old friend? You mean…"

"Yes." The storm picked up, as he looked to the sky. "Master Jiraiya."

* * *

AN: Well, there ya go. A little Naruto, a little Eight-Tails (Because he somehow manages to be stereotypical, hilarious, and badass all at once), and a little Akatsuki. Hope y'all enjoyed, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.


	3. Trace

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

AN: Man, long time, eh? But hey, look at it this way. I feel bad about taking so long (This was supposed to update about as regularly as Oath itself), so I'm going to try to push up the updates so they coincide with Oath's updates a bit more, and I'm putting up an extra chapter or two this time. Hope y'all enjoy :)

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Conversation**_

**Time Passage**

* * *

They stood in front of Tazuna's home, saying a short goodbye as Naruto and Inari continued to talk. As much as he'd enjoyed his time in the Land of Waves, they really did need to be going.

"Thank you. Tazuna, Tsunami, Kaiza…" He trailed off as Tazuna shook his head with a wide smile.

"Nah, thank you kid. Gato might actually back off a bit if he thinks yer still around."

"Hn. Perhaps." He paused as he prepared to call Naruto away from Inari, deciding that as Gato might continue to harass them even if he threatened him, it would be best to suggest a source of help that he knew to be effective. "I'll visit again, someday. If Gato continues to give you trouble, I'm sure Konohagakure would be willing to help you."

Tsunami seemed a little unsure at that suggestion. "I'm not sure we could really afford a team of ninja…"

"There are a number of talented Genin and Chunin who could use the experience. I doubt they'll charge too much. The Hokage has been known to let the prices slide somewhat, in special circumstances."

"Thank you, Itachi." She gave him a small smile, and he gave the trio a nod, before calling to Naruto. The boy gave a cheerful grin to Inari, and turned to follow Itachi as he began to walk away. They were only walking for a few minutes when Naruto noticed something a bit off.

"Umm…Isn't the boat in the other direction?"

"Yes."

"So…where we goin?"

"To take care of a little business before we leave. I'm going to pay this "Gato" a quick visit."

"The prick that's been messin' with Inari's family?"

"Indeed."

When they finally came to the office building that Gato resided in when he visited the Land of Waves, it wasn't hard to spot. It wasn't an exceptionally large building, but wasn't exactly small either. It was three stories tall, clearly designed to look like a place of business instead of what you'd expect from low-level thugs. Then again, if it served as a base for Gato, it would make sense that he'd attempt to give it a more "proper" appearance. There were two double doors in the front, obviously the entrance, and as they reached them he turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, why don't you stay here?"

"Aw…"

"Don't worry. This shouldn't take long."

He stepped through the door, glancing around to see the various "security" personnel stationed in the room. It wasn't too impressive, but then he didn't expect Gato to provide excellent quarters for his goons. It was a pretty boring little lobby, with a few run-down sofas placed around a short table, and several chairs placed around the room, and a small receptionist desk with a bored-but-nervous looking woman sitting behind it. Towards the back of the room was the only other door visible in the lobby, which would undoubtedly begin leading him to his target.

It wasn't long before they noticed the young boy standing in the middle of the room, and the one who seemed to be in charge of the rather rag-tag group looked up from his seat.

"Whatcha want, kid?"

"I'm here to speak with Gato."

The man scoffed, leaning back and putting his feet up on the table in front of him. The young woman at the desk turned to him.

"Do you have an appointment?" She shook her head so slightly while looking at the inattentive men around the room, as if trying to warn him. Perhaps Gato wasn't in the greatest of moods. Or perhaps people who had meetings with Gato and who weren't all that important had a tendency to disappear. Regardless of the reason, he stared back evenly.

"No. But I **am** going to speak with him." The woman blanched as one of Gato's men stood, lazily pulling a small dagger with a three-inch blade out of his pocket and waving it at Itachi as he stepped closer.

"That so, kid?"

He barely even gave a passing glare at the man before dashing behind him with the body flicker technique, kicking him in the back of the knee, and twisting the arm with the knife around his back as he dropped to a knee. Effortlessly pulling the small blade from the man's hand, he drove his elbow into the back of the man's neck, rendering him unconscious. As the others began to stand, each drawing whatever weapons they happened to have on them and the secretary ducked behind the counter, face paling, he flipped the knife a few times before sliding it into the strap of one of his kunai pouches.

He turned to the men, putting his hands together as he began to form the seals for his clan's signature technique, and felt a flicker of amusement at how they began to charge him, trying to decide whether killing them or leaving them alive would send the more appropriate message.

Eleven minutes later, wiping the blood from the kunai he'd used to nail Gato's hand to the wall as he threatened him and ignoring the frightened stares of the few men still conscious, he glanced at the secretary who was looking over the edge of her desk in shock. With a polite smile in her direction, he walked through the doors leading out of the building.

As he stepped outside, he saw Naruto and several of his shadow clones sitting on an unconscious man who had apparently gotten the poor idea that he could use the young blond as a hostage, and turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I believe he understood the message. Perhaps we should get moving."

"Works for me." Naruto grinned, giving the unconscious man a pat on the head as he stood to follow Itachi.

* * *

**Two Days Later…**

"I'm looking for someone. About eleven years old, dark hair, red eyes. Probably carrying some weapons. Has a little blond kid with him."

"Oh, ya mean the ninja kid? Yeah, he came through a day or two ago. Smacked around a few of the local thugs, and beat the tar outta Gato, from what I hear."

_Ah, Gato. The "businessman" who used to be in the upper ranks of the old crime families._ "Know where the kid went?"

"Sorry fella, can't help you much there. But they were stayin' with Tazuna, so he might be able to lend ya a hand."

"And where is this "Tazuna" person?"

"He went up to Gato's this mornin' to talk about making some kinda bridge to the mainland. Seems like Gato decided to lighten up for once."

"I don't suppose you're one of Zabuza's friends?" He turned to look to his left as he heard the feminine voice, and his eyes came to rest on a young woman carrying a small bag of groceries.

_The Demon of the Mist? Here?_ That seemed a little close-to-home for someone that had just lead a rebellion against the Village Hidden in the Mist. "Zabuza?"

"Tazuna is my father. We let Itachi and Naruto stay with us for a little while. Dad said that there was a man with a huge sword named Zabuza." She nodded towards the weapon on his back. "I thought that you might know him. I mean, we don't really see many people with swords like that…"

"Me and Zabuza go pretty far back. We used to work together. So you say that the kid was stayin' with you? Did he say where he was going?"

"He didn't say exactly where he was going, but he mentioned the Land of Wind. Would you mind me asking why you're looking for them?"

_I guess he's made some friends._ "I'm supposed to keep them out of tr-"

"Master Kisame!" The blue-skinned man stepped aside as the kid in the orange mask slid across the space he'd just been standing in, arms flailing in a futile attempt to stop as he plowed into the man Kisame had been talking to minutes before. Kisame grabbed the back of the black-clad figure's shirt and lifted him into the air with an amused chuckle. Tobi, seemingly unaware of Kisame's good mood, clasped his hands and began to ramble in a pleading voice.

"Sorry Master Kisame! I couldn't find them anywhere in the whole village! Please don't tell Mister Leader! Just give me another chance, and I'll find 'em! I can't get kicked out now that you guys finally let me join! Pleasepleasepleaseplea-" Still holding the "younger" boy in the air, Kisame shook him a few times to cut off the rant before it actually got annoying.

"Get a grip, squirt. They're not here."

"…Oh." He looked around at the people watching the little scene he'd been making, before letting his gaze settle on the man he'd knocked over. "Sorry 'bout that, Mister."

"Thanks for the help, lady." Kisame easily hauled Tobi over his shoulder as the masked man cheerily waved at the people behind them. When they were out of sight, he began tapping Kisame on the back.

"So what's the plan, Mister Boss Man?"

"We're paying a visit to the Land of Wind. We'll have to fall back if we find them though."

"Because they'd notice us in the desert. Right, Master Kisame?"

"Mhm."

* * *

**Three Days Later…**

"So can I summon something?"

Ever since they'd visited Meshi and Naruto had managed to sign a contract with the rather insane old fox that he'd dubbed the "Senile Gray Rat," he'd been talking almost non-stop about summoning. They'd only left Meshi's place a few hours earlier, but he figured they might as well stop and practice the jutsu for a moment. After all, Naruto **did** have an exceptional amount of chakra, so he could probably manage the jutsu without being too drained.

"Very well. The summoning jutsu can be used with seals or scrolls. Scrolls are generally used for weapons, so I'll teach you the seals." Stopping, he turned to Naruto and went through the process of showing him the seals.

"First, you need blood. You could draw the contract by hand, but it's far slower."

"So I need blood?" He seemed a little uneasy at that. "How much?"

"Nothing extreme, just a small amount will work. Most generally just bit a small cut into their thumb." He swiped his thumb across his mouth to emphasize the action.

"Blood, got it. What else?"

"After you've wiped the blood across your palm, the seals are next. The ones used for this technique are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram. Once you've finished, it can be activated by pressing your palm against a hard surface, like the ground."

"Okay, okay. Lemme give this a shot." Naruto practiced going through the seals a few times before taking a breath, and Itachi stepped back a few feet. If he wasn't successful, it wouldn't do any harm. If he was successful, he was likely to put enough chakra into the technique to summon something impressive. Naruto did as Itachi suggested, biting the edge of his thumb until the skin broke, flipped through the seals, and pressed his hand to the ground, pleased to see the symbol from the contract he'd signed appear a split second before smoke exploded into the small clearing.

As it began to disappear, Itachi gave his summon an appraising look, and Naruto broke into a gigantic grin. After all, what hyperactive, prank-loving ninja **wouldn't** want an eight foot tall fox as a new "toy" to torment? The white-furred figure shook itself out, then glanced over towards the duo, noting the blood on the younger's hand.

"A little brat summoned me? What do you want?"

"Sweet!" Naruto promptly ignored the fox's complaints, running up to him and gripping its fur in an attempt to climb on its back. "You're huge!"

Now the fox in question was, to say the least, confused. It was no Kyuubi, but most children didn't run up to something that size and start playing on it, especially if it appeared annoyed. Turning his puzzled glance to the older of the two boys, he tilted his head in question, wondering if his grandfather had in fact finally snapped by signing their contract away to the excited blond child.

"You get used to it."

"Ah." He glanced back as the boy managed to get onto his back, and sprawled out with a grin as he leaned back against his neck.

"Man, you're so warm and comfy. What's your name?"

"I am Byakko."

"Naruto. Nice to meet ya. You're definitely cooler than that senile gray rat."

_Does he mean…?_ "Senile gray rat?"

"Yeah, y'know, the one who got me the contract?"

Byakko smiled, thinking of how incredibly accurate that description of his grandfather seemed. Sure, the elderly fox had apparently been a relatively large beast in his prime, but now, he really was a crazy old ball of fur. And crazy as he was, he'd probably enjoy the new nickname. But Byakko knew good and well that his brother, Igoka, wouldn't stand listening to someone "insult" their grandfather. And annoying his elder brother was his favorite hobby. Moderately satisfied that he'd at least be amused if summoned, he turned to the dark-haired human.

"And you?"

"Itachi Uchiha."

He stared quizzically at the small boy in front of him. He was young, certainly, but they all knew of the Uchiha Clan. After all, there were very few humans who could honestly say that they were capable of forcing the Great Fox into doing their bidding, but there had been at least two among their clan capable of doing so. Of course that had been nearly a century before, but it was worth noting all the same.

"So you're one of the Uchiha…A shinobi?" Byakko's eyes flickered backwards for a moment as he heard an odd sound, but he quickly returned his attention to Itachi.

"Formerly of Konohagakure. We've left the village, for the time being."

"On the run, eh? You'll probably be doing a lot of fighting then, right?"

"It's quite likely."

"I guess that makes us partners then, Uchiha. Naruto. Boy?" Byakko let out a sigh as he started to turn his head back, only to realize that the odd noise he'd been hearing were the boy's snores. "Strange little kit."

"Trust me, you're not the first to say that."

* * *

It was one day after they'd left the Land of Waves that Kisame picked up on their trail, having traveled at full speed to reach the area. After that, it was only a matter of hours before he'd come within a distance that would allow him to properly observe them. It was when they'd finally left the old man's house two days later that they finally did something he found remotely interesting. The two had decided to stop in a clearing, for what Kisame wasn't sure, and as such Kisame and Tobi had stopped as well. And since it was Tobi's turn to keep track of the duo, he'd been fine with stopping farther away than usual, since even Kisame had to admit that the bizarre man had unusually good eyesight.

Of course, he also had an unusual talent for harassing people. And since Kisame was the only person around, and also happened to be catching up on some sleep, he apparently felt compelled to put that talent to good use. That's what Kisame chose to believe as the man began shaking him, anyway.

"Master Kisame! They're up to something!"

"What?"

"…I dunno."

"…"

"I think they're, uh…Training? Maybe?"

"So why'd you wake me up?"

"Cause I'm bored."

"You're lucky that I don't skin y-"

"Hey, check it out!" He pointed excitedly towards the boys. "Looks like they summoned something."

_What?_ "The kid summoned something?"

"Yeah, the little blond one did. Man, it's a big one too!"

_Interesting._ No normal child that age should have been able to summon anything at all, much less a "big one" as Tobi described it. He was beginning to wish that he'd requested a bit more information on the two before taking off after them. As he stood to get a better view of the other duo, he couldn't help but grin at the sight of the blond kid pulling at the fur of the large fox he'd apparently decided to use as a throne.

_Maybe this won't be so boring after all._

* * *

AN: Well, hope you enjoyed. As it is, these first few chapters are going to be "catch up" chapters of a sort, leading to the last chapter in Oath before the time skip begins. After that, things should really get rolling. I think what's taken so long on these chapters is figuring out how to go over the same time period without seeming too redundant and just copying chapters from Oath.


	4. Games in the Sand

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

AN: Well, here ya go. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope y'all enjoy. On a side note, the editing on these chapters was a little rushed, so give me a holler if you see any glaring errors that I missed. I don't think there are any, but like I said, I hurried through editing this time around.

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Conversation**_

**Time Passage**

* * *

"Master Kisame." The whisper to his right was followed by a finger poking him in the shoulder. "Master Kisame!"

"Whattya want, squirt?" He turned to look at the orange-masked man from the tree he was leaning against, one leg hanging off the edge of the branch.

"I think somebody's coming."

"Huh?" He went quiet, listening for any signs of something approaching. Odds are, it was Zabuza or one of his little followers. He knew the man would manage to find him eventually, since it was obvious that they were both following the same person. "Go find somethin' to do. I'll handle this."

"But Master Kisame, I wanna show you my new super awesome move!"

"You'll get your chance. But not right now."

Tobi gave a pout, or at least that's what Kisame assumed he was doing as his shoulders dropped, and jumped off of the branch in the opposite direction. Kisame forced himself to relax, leaning back against the tree as his old comrade came into sight on a branch across from the one he was sitting on.

"Hoshigaki."

"Momochi. It's been a while." He grinned as his "little brother" drew his blade, and held it cautiously at his side.

"Not that long, brother."

He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Zabuza's words. The Seven Swordsmen hadn't been "brothers" for years now. Most of them had split off from the group earlier, and Zabuza had attempted to overthrow their leader. To make it worse, he had the sinking feeling that his little swordsman-in-training, Mangetsu, hadn't made it out of his fight with the Eight-Tailed Beast alive.

"Brothers. Not since you tried to kill the Mizukage, Momochi. The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist are finished. None of us are brothers now." He eyed Zabuza's sword for a moment.

"Put that thing away, Momochi. I'm not here to fight." The younger of the duo didn't listen to the request, extending the blade towards Kisame.

"I know. You're following those boys. Why?"

Well, it seemed as though Zabuza had become fond of the children. Or curious. Or bored. Really, there were quite a few reasons why he'd follow the two. Either way, he doubted that Zabuza would interfere unless the two were in immediate danger.

"Why so curious?"

"Let's just say I've taken an interest in those two."

Kisame gave him a sharp-toothed grin. "And now you're watching their backs for them. Getting soft Momochi?"

"Don't count on it."

"Well, as long as you're still the same bloodthirsty bastard that I remember, I guess we can stay on good terms." He shrugged, stretching his arms and making an obvious point of relaxing further.

"You haven't answered my question, Hoshigaki."

"Well maybe I'm interested in them too. Ever think of that?" Ah, how he missed these taunting conversations. His juniors in the Seven Swordsmen had always been fun targets for harassment.

"Don't play with me. I know you better than that. What do you want with them?"

"Just watching them for an…associate. You don't need to worry, Momochi. I'm not going to hurt them. In fact, I'm supposed to watch out for them. But hey, if you're interested in the job…"

"…I'll hold you to that, Hoshigaki." Even as Zabuza re-sheathed the blade and leapt backwards off the branch, they both knew that he wouldn't simply leave Kisame to do whatever he wished. Zabuza would still keep an eye on them for a while. Not that Kisame was concerned with this possibility. He'd been the best in the Seven Swordsmen, and he'd gotten even stronger since joining the Akatsuki. He doubted that the younger man could honestly defeat him if they were ever to cross blades.

When he could no longer hear Zabuza, he gave a sharp whistle and Tobi returned from the cover of the trees nearby to land in front of him.

"What was that all about, Master Kisame?"

"Just an old partner stopping by to talk."

"Old partner?"

"One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Oooh. Tell me!" The orange-masked man sat down and crossed his legs, leaning forward towards the swordsman.

"It's a bit of a story." Tobi clapped his hands together and leaned forward in an almost begging manner.

"Come on, please? I wanna hear about it, Master Kisame!"

"Heh. Guess we don't have much else to do."

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

A certain Sunagakure Chunin known as Koki yawned as he flipped through the pictures of recent missing-nin, listening as his partner went over what the two young boys walking through the canyon leading to Sunagakure looked like. Honestly, it was the most action that they'd gotten in years, and he'd gotten bored with guarding the entrance quite some time before. When he'd realized that unidentified foreigners were approaching the entrance, he'd almost hoped that they would be a couple of missing-nin. Anything to break the monotony that was Sunagakure guard duty.

"Two males, ages about five and eleven."

"Not many in the books like that." His partner grunted, glancing through the binoculars again.

"The older one is about one hundred and forty-nine centimeters tall, pale skin tone, eye color…" He paused, probably waiting for a better view. "…dark brown. The younger is about one hundred and twenty-five centimeters tall, pale skin tone, eye color blue. Is there anyone who looks like that?"

"Not a one. The closest we've got is that Haku kid." He held the book out, and his partner nodded.

"Definitely not the same. Tell the guards to stand down for now." He sighed, picking up a small radio and informing the others that they wouldn't be breaking the pattern any time soon, and leaned back against the stone wall with a magazine, cursing the decision he'd made in his youth to guard his village rather than agreeing to take on standard missions.

* * *

The Fourth Kazekage had simply been sitting in his office, working away the undeniably boring paperwork that you never heard about as a Kazekage candidate, when one of his Jonin, Hironori, stepped into the room.

"Lord Kazekage?"

"Hm." The Kazekage looked up from his desk.

"I think there's something you should see."

"I'm busy at the moment."

"I really think you need to see this, sir. It's Gaara." The Kazekage stood, motioning for his underling to show him the way. In a matter of minutes, they were watching the scene before them from a few buildings away, and the Kazekage began considering what this could mean.

"He's just been…playing." He was clearly baffled. "This entire time."

"Who is the boy?"

"Just some foreign kid, sir."

_Perhaps this is the chance we've been waiting for._ "Kill him."

"Pardon, sir?"

"You heard me. He never "plays." Perhaps he'll be distracted enough for us to take advantage of it this time."

"…And the boy, sir?"

"Is he anyone important?"

"Not as far as we could tell, Lord Kazekage. Just a wandering visitor who came in with another boy slightly older than him."

"They're unimportant. But if you can, try to avoid killing them."

"Of course, Lord Kazekage." And with that Horonori disappeared, collecting a few of his fellow shinobi to aid him in the task that many before had failed.

He watched as a dark-haired boy approached his "son" and the blond child, likely the companion that Hironori had spoken of. The boy looked strangely familiar. In fact, both of the foreigners looked rather familiar to him, though he couldn't quite place it. He put the thought aside, eyes narrowing as the dark-haired on easily deflected the kunai thrown at him, movements indicating that he'd obviously had some form of training. Hironori's companions began to follow the boys as they fled, and the Jonin reappeared next to him with a questioning look.

"Should we continue to pursue them, Lord Kazekage?" They hadn't really considered that the duo might have attempted to take Gaara with them.

"Yes. Contact the watch team at the main entrance. Stop the Shukaku from leaving the village. I'll be in my office."

Within half an hour, Hironori burst into his office, covered in sand and with several visible cuts and bruises.

"Sir, we…The boy…Got hurt. Gaara!" He let out a wheeze. "Angry. Can't stop him."

"Then try again. You were foolish enough to anger him by harming those he was leaving with. If they left him as you said, perhaps he's distraught enough to slip through his defenses. Or perhaps you'll fail. Whatever the result may be, you don't have much choice in the matter." And with a glare from the Kazekage, Hironori left the room, preparing to organize his team for a second attempt.

Whether they liked the Kazekage or not was irrelevant. They would rather face possible death than betray the man who was undoubtedly one of the most powerful shinobi that their village had ever produced. After all, Gaara could be brutal, but he was still just a beast that would kill them instantly. The Kazekage might not be so tempted to make their deaths quite so quick if they refused his orders.

Several hours later, after an attempt to kill the two former Konohagakure citizens and the host of Shukaku that failed miserably, Gaara's sobs had died down to a sniffle, having run out of the energy to keep up anything more. He heard the men appearing behind him, probably with intentions of finishing the job, and lowered his head. He didn't want to stop them. He knew he was a monster. It wasn't some kind of depression, or self-hatred. As far as he was concerned, it was a simple fact. He had some kind of beast inside him, and it was full of anger, and lusted for blood. So he didn't want to stop them. But he knew that he would, whether he wanted to or not, because it didn't want to die.

The sand began to swirl around him, creating what could only be described as a small storm as he waited, wondering how long it would take for the shinobi sent after him to make their move, however pointless it might have been. He waited, wondering how quickly they would fall before his sand. He waited, and even as he heard shouts of surprise and anger, the attacks never came.

Confused, not completely understanding why they sounded like they were in the middle of a war when he knew the sand hadn't reacted yet, he turned towards the sounds. As soon as he laid eyes upon the scene, they widened at what was happening. The newcomers sent by his father were strewn across the ground, most of them clearly unconscious, as a blond woman proceeded to effortlessly beat the remaining men around like ragdolls with a scowl present on her otherwise beautiful face, as a younger, dark-haired woman watched on.

When she finally tossed the last of them aside, ignoring the cracking as he slammed into the canyon wall, she turned towards the red-haired boy. Her features softened slightly as her eyes met his, and she began walking towards him. She didn't seem interested in hurting him, but just a short time earlier he'd tried to let someone get close to him, only to end up butchering the boy in an attempt to protect him.

"Stay away from me!" The woman didn't stop her advance, even when the sand around him began to twist and writhe.

"No. I said no! Stay away!" And he created a pillar of sand, swinging it towards the woman's side with as much force as he could put behind it while avoiding any severe damage. After what had just happened with Naruto perhaps an hour before, he had no intention of getting close to anyone else. Even if the person in question **had** just beaten half a dozen of his father's men into submission in mere seconds.

So he had no way of finding the words to express his surprise when the woman's hand shot out, shattering the gathered sand effortlessly as it came close to her. As the front half of the pillar passed in front of the woman, and the rest dropped to her side, he stopped, staring in a sort of shocked wonder at what he'd seen. No one he'd ever seen, not even his father, the most powerful person he'd ever met, had been able to simply knock the sand aside like that. There were some he'd seen who could break free of it before it completely formed, or who could force their way through smaller amounts, but nothing had ever torn through it as though it was just being blown by a light breeze.

"What's your name?" She came to a stop, leaning down towards him.

"I-I'm Gaara."

"Do you know why those men were after you?"

"Because I'm a monster." She looked strangely surprised at that, and he couldn't help but be surprised himself. He thought that **all** the adults knew that.

"Why do you say that?"

"That's what they all say. The villagers." A brief frown crossed her features, and her hand shot down to grab the back of his shirt, easily brushing through the sand that automatically went to stop anything that resembled an attack. As she lifted him to her chest, he instinctively reached his arms around her neck to steady himself.

"How would you like to come with us?"

His eyes widened yet again, baffled that he could meet two groups of people who actually seemed to **want** him, and in a single day no less.

"I…The Kazekage would be mad."

"The Kazekage can go screw himself for all I care."

Now he'd definitely never heard someone show his father so little respect. Cautious as he felt about making friends after what happened to Naruto, he felt that this woman was different. Naruto had just been a child like him, but she was strong. Very strong. He'd already seen that she could handle his sand well enough. Perhaps…

"I…want to come with you." He saw the dark-haired girl watching them smile and hug something to her. Something that looked like a…_Pig?_

"I'm Tsunade. This is Shizune." She waved half-heartedly at her companion.

"Gaara."

"Well, nice to meet you, Gaara. I guess we should probably get going." And with that, ignoring the trail of unconscious bodies behind them, the group began walking through the canyon towards the exit.

* * *

AN: Okay, so the scene with Kisame and Tobi wasn't really necessary since it takes place quite a ways before the rest of the chapter, but I just felt compelled to add them in. Anyway, hope to hear from you, as per usual. And remember, chapters should be coming faster now that I'm not busy trying to figure out how to go over the events that cross over into Oath without seeming redundant.


	5. Followed

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

AN: Well…All of my stuff this time around took a lot longer than expected. Of course, even if it was supposed to be out a couple of weeks ago, I actually have an excuse as to why it wasn't out just a few days ago. Stupid computer virus screwed up my laptop.

_Thoughts_

_**Demon/Inner Conversation**_

**Time Passage**

* * *

_The forest, _Itachi decided,_ is much more pleasant._ Then again, having lived in a community surrounded by a forest for his whole life, he might have been a bit biased. Either way, he was certainly glad that he'd made the decision to teach Naruto the summoning jutsu. A walk from the desert to the small forests on the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain would have probably taken days on their own. With Byakko as their transport, it had merely taken a matter of hours at full speed. And of course, now that Byakko was gone, and they were finally out of both the desert and the Land of Wind's jurisdiction, they were being followed.

_Just great. The day keeps getting better and better._

Well, whoever was following them was doing a piss poor job of it. He didn't even need to actively look for this person to realize that someone was there. Since Naruto kept glancing back every once in a while, Itachi could only assume that he was aware of the situation as well. After about half an hour, the young blond seemed to have reached the end of his patience. He grabbed a stone off of the ground as he walked by, abruptly swiveled around, and hurled it in the general direction of their pursuer.

A pursuer who abruptly fell from the tree he'd been residing in with a yelp, his arms flailing as he tried to stop his descent, only to black out as his head hit the ground.

Looking over the man, Itachi tilted his head in curiosity. It wasn't anyone that he recognized, that was for sure, and since he knew just about every current shinobi in Konoha, the man probably wasn't sent to watch out for them. He didn't look much like one of the Sunagakure shinobi either, and he doubted they'd be able to respond so quickly anyway. He hadn't encountered many shinobi from the Land of Rain or Rivers, so perhaps it was one of them. Before he could contemplate the idea further, he was pulled from his pondering by Naruto's voice.

"Did I, uh, kill him or something?"

Itachi could tell from where he was that the shinobi was still breathing, but wanted to get a closer look at the man anyway. He wasn't wearing the standard forehead protector anywhere visible, but some people simply kept them out of sight. He walked over, and nudged the shinobi in the ribs with his foot, getting nothing but a grunt in response. He wasn't especially impressive, honestly. Slender, light brown hair, maybe around twenty years old…He wasn't wearing a forehead protector, and the dark blue garb wasn't very familiar.

"He's alive. Just unconscious." He knelt down and began removing the various pouches and holsters that the brown-haired man had, most of them empty, but a few of them carrying weapons of some kind.

"Naruto, hold these." He tossed the objects over to Naruto, who began cheerily playing with one of the kunai they contained, before continuing to search the man. He was unable to find any kind of identifiers, but he **did** find a small map in one of his pockets. A map, he noted with a combination of skepticism and amusement, of the Land of Grass. Either this "ninja" was just carrying the map around for the heck of it, or he was **really** off his mark.

"I think our friend here might be a bit…lost."

"Seriously?"

"Hn. We should probably leave him here."

"Aw, come on. I feel kinda bad for knockin' him out like that. And he's a little, uh…"

_Idiotic? Pathetic?_ "Fine. We might as well take him with us then." He grabbed the man by the ankle, and began dragging him along behind them. "Let's go. We'll have to set up camp sooner or later anyway."

* * *

**The Village Hidden in the Sand…**

"What happened here?" It certainly **looked** like there had been a fight around the entrance to the village, and Kisame was certainly familiar enough with violence to make that kind of observation with confidence. Yet there was no sign of Itachi or Naruto, and he was damn sure that the duo had been here.

And their leader would skin him alive if something happened to those two. And considering what the man had supposedly done to Hanzou, he wasn't willing to take any chances. As for the poor guard that he'd singled out, not that there were many to choose from? He was arguably the most jittery person that Kisame had ever seen in the gate watch position.

"Nothing, n-nothing happened here at all! Everything is just fine. No problems here."

And one bad liar.

"I'm looking for a couple kids that came through here earlier. One's-" The man began shifting around nervously. "You know who I'm talking about."

It had been a strange couple of days. A strange and very, very, very bad couple of days. First it had been those pesky foreign kids that almost burned him alive, then the demon boy had nearly crushed him in his rage, and then he'd had his lights knocked out by the freakish blonde woman. Add in the threats, insults, and lectures they'd gotten from the Kazekage, and he'd had more than enough thrashings for one day. So he was most definitely **not** planning to take his chances with a psycho who looked like a shark and hauled around a gigantic sword.

Besides, the strange kid with the mask was getting on his nerves.

"East. They went east, and a little north." He pointed to the point where some of the conscious members of their team had managed to catch a glimpse of the duo as they fled.

"Northeast, eh?" _Probably not heading for the Land of Fire. They'd want to avoid that. Maybe the Land of Rivers, then._ "Tobi, come."

"Right away, Master Kisame Sir!" He jogged up behind his partner, tapping him on the shoulder rapidly as they walked away.

"So where are we going, Master Kisame?"

"The Land of Rivers. Maybe the Land of Rain."

Behind the orange mask, a red eye narrowed slightly, contradicting the cheery tone in the voice that followed.

"Why the Land of Rivers, Master Kisame? What would they want there?" _I suppose a fight may have knocked them off course, but they just happened to go to the same countries where we've already established several of our headquarters?_

He probably shouldn't have been suspicious. As far as he was aware, Itachi didn't know anything about the Akatsuki beyond what he'd told his descendent after they'd agreed to join forces. So perhaps it was paranoid, but Madara hadn't survived in secret for over a century without a little paranoia.

"Hmm…Not sure. But they went northeast from Sunagakure. I can't see them entering Konoha territory so soon, and the Land of Rivers is closest. It's just a guess."

"So the Land of Rivers has a lot of rivers?"

"Yes, Tobi, it does."

"Cool. So do you feel really at home there or anything? I mean, 'cause you're all sharky and stuff?"

"Heh. I'm not a shark, kid."

"Oh. Oops."

"…It does feel more like home though. Like the Mist."

"Oh yeah, you're from the Village Hidden in the Mist. So you've got the turf advantage in a place like that, huh?"

"Yeah." He supposed that was true. Of course, he didn't **need** water to already be there to give himself the advantage, and he wasn't exactly short on the chakra needed to use jutsu that could make water available, but it still gave him a few more options that he wouldn't have otherwise.

"So what's the Mist Village like, Master Kisame?"

"Heh. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime, kid, but not right now." For now, they needed to find those kids again.

* * *

**Three hours later, The Land of Rivers…**

It had only taken them a few minutes to find a path through the forest, considering that said path had only been a few dozen feet away. It had been an hour before Itachi got tired of dragging their companion, and convinced Naruto to summon Byakko to drag him along instead. It was two more hours before they'd finally stopped and started looking for something to eat, tying up the foreign ninja, if he could honestly be called that, and leaving him sitting next to a tree.

And now, as they were eating a few pieces of fruit they'd gathered, it seemed he felt like waking up. His eyelids shot open, and dull blue eyes glanced around the small "camp" rapidly, confused.

"Where am I?"

"You were following us. Why?" Straight to the point. Not really much reason to keep him around if they weren't going to ask him what he'd been planning. If the clumsy oaf had been planning something, anyway.

"Huh?" Clearly still a bit dazed.

"Earlier, in the forest, you were following us. He," Naruto grinned and waved as Itachi's finger pointed in his direction "Hit you with a rock. You fell, you passed out. What were you doing?"

"I was following you."

"…Clearly. Were you after us for something?"

"Nope."

"Then why?" _Is he _**trying**_ to be so annoying, or is he honestly that clueless?_

"Because you were going somewhere."

_Okay, let's try something else. Maybe something simpler._ "Who are you?"

How he'd gotten out of the ropes, Itachi had no idea, but the brunette suddenly stood up straight on one leg, bending the other at the knee and spreading his arms into the air, almost as if he were trying to look like a bird.

"I am the Super Awesome Lightning Ninja of the Land of Skies, Raikura Koseifu the Eighth!"

Itachi's eyebrow quirked.

Naruto took another bite.

Raikura's stomach grumbled.

"Hungry?" Naruto held out a piece of the fruit to the "ninja" who was now clutching his aching stomach.

"So, so much."

Itachi sighed, knowing that he probably wouldn't get a straight answer either way. This "Raikura" was either a master at deflecting questions, or a genuinely clueless dolt. He had the feeling that it was the latter.

"So," Naruto tilted his head at the newcomer. "Where were you s'posed to be headed?"

"Can't say. Y'know, secret, need-to-know stuff."

"Um, crazy lightning ninja guy, weren't you just lost in the forest about thirty feet away from a road that only goes north or south? We kinda need to know if you want us to help, don't we?"

"Hah, the Super Awesome Lightning Ninja of the Skies is never lost! Maybe a little off the mark, but never lost!"

Itachi gave him a dull stare.

"You have a map of the Land of Grass that says you should be heading for their shinobi village. If you're from the Land of Skies, then you should have had to have passed through this country at all. You were following us starved half to death until a six year old child hit you with a rock and knocked you out of a tree."

"…"

"…"

"…It was a clever ruse to make you let down your guard?"

"I thought you weren't after us, so why would you want us to let down our guard?"

"Because I'm a master scout, and needed to make sure you weren't dangerous!"

"You knocked yourself out falling out of a tree. And we knew you were there the whole time, hence the rock-throwing."

"Uh…"

"You wanted to follow us until you figured out where you were, didn't you?"

"…Would that be okay with you guys?"

"Sure, crazy lightning ninja guy."

"Hn." _At least that's something I could believe. But I'm keeping an eye on him._

At Raikura's confusion, Naruto decided to translate.

"That means yes, in Freaky-Eyes."

"Great! And, uh, could we maybe not tell anyone about this little incident? Especially not my teammates? I'll still haven't heard the end of it from those two after the last time this happened."

"No problem, Crazy." _The more blackmail material, the better._

"…" _Idiot._

Raikura turned to the blond for elaboration. "Is that a yes?"

"Close enough."

* * *

AN: Shorter than I'd hoped, especially given how long it's been, but I hope you enjoyed. I'll try to get the next Oath/Reversal/SOLDIER chapters out within the next day or two, for anyone watching those.


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